One Moment of Selfishness
by KittenKakt
Summary: Katie’s been cursed and is in St. Mungos. Not sure if she’ll make it. Oliver, get here soon...
1. A Very Brave Owl

**A/N: Ok, so this is my first stab at writing fanfiction. I've been really chicken to post anything, so I really hope that it doesn't suck**. **As you can probably tell, more chapters will be forthcoming, hopefully on some sort of a schedule. Reviews are appreciated. And now for the disclamer: If I owned anything but the ideas in my head, I would definitely not have to work for a living!**

**A Very Brave Owl  
**

Basil was a very brave owl. Any owl owned by the entrepreneurs Weasley and Weasley must be a very brave owl indeed. At this moment he was on an important mission from his masters and their friends. He was to infiltrate the Puddlemere United Quidditch practice and deliver the letter he carried. He was told to deliver this to Oliver Wood, wherever he was, immediately.

Basil couldn't see why there was such a hurry that he has to risk life and wing just to deliver a short note, but being a brave owl he swooped into the open top of the stadium. He flew as fast as he could to the shining brass rings and tried very hard not to look like a bludger. What strong, brave, not-a-bludger Basil did not know is that he was that letter could not wait to be delivered, not even for a minute.

Oliver Wood was having a good day. He was bobbing in front of Quidditch hoops as the starting keeper for Puddlemere United. He was just waiting for the starting chasers to steal back the quaffle in the usual end-of-practice reserve vs. starters scrimmage. He keeps for the reserves and the reserve keeper is with the starters. The reserves were playing well so he didn't have much to do. A bored keeper is a happy keeper. But never forgetting his captain days, Wood constantly scanned the pitch to see how everyone was playing and where they could improve. It was on one of these scans that he noticed that there were THREE bludgers on the pitch.

_One, two, three_, Oliver thought. _Definitely three on the pitch and one's headed straight for me. _Being a keeper, Oliver instinctively caught what was flying at him. Half a second later, Oliver had processed this was NOT a bludger and was staring at poor Basil like he was a freak of nature, why on earth would an owl try to deliver a letter on a quidditch pitch?

"Coach, COACH!" Puddlemere's coach looked over to see his keeper signaling for a water break. As the team descended, they wandered over to see why the Oliver Wood, of all people, was calling for disruption of practice.

"Wood, why are you clutching an owl?" inquired chaser and team captain, Clifton Cloudman.

"Dunno, the barmy thing just flew at me while I was on the pitch" Oliver reached for the owl's pouch and extracted the letter it had. He opened the scroll and quickly read the contents. Everyone watched as a look of shock and fear flitted across his face, only to be replaced by anger. Tossing his broom to Cliff he said, "I have to go" and apparated away.

"What in the hell" the coach murmured to himself as he picked up the parchment that was dropped. A look of sad understanding settled on his face as he read:

_Katie's been cursed and is in St. Mungos. Not sure if she'll make it._

_Oliver, get here soon,_

_Angelina_


	2. Colombian FireThingy

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who read the chapter one! Special thanks for the Review. I'm going to go ahead and post this so I'll stop tweaking the wording and making myself nuts. Disclaimer: If I owned anything useful then I would have enough money to fix my friend's fence after that moron and his car took out about 50 yards of it last night.  
**

**Colombian Fire-Thingy**

Oliver appeared in St. Mungos and walked straight to the welcome witch.

"Checking in or visitation?" she inquired with total disdain for her position.

"I'm here to see Katherine Bell. They said she'd been cursed" he blurted out. As Oliver watched her leisurely rifle through admissions documents for the correct room he heard a familiar voice.

"Wood, c'mon I know where we're going." A Weasley twin grabbed his arm and drug him over toward the lift.

"Where is she? Have you seen her? Is she OK? How did she get here?" At this point in his panic, Oliver was cut off by a strong hand on his shoulder.

"Look mate, my little brother, Harry, and Hermione were with her when it happened. They just sent an owl to us saying she'd been cursed by a necklace, floated around a bit, and was whisked off to St. Mungos." He gave Oliver a stern look that clearly said shut-up-and-let-me-finish. "Alicia was with us when we got the news and she sent Basil off to Ange. They're all here with her parents, I just had to run over to the shop and close up. I left George to take care of the girls."

Somewhere in the deep part of Oliver's mind that was still functioning it registered that A) this must be Fred talking to me and B) He's talking to me like I'm going to have a breakdown. To the casual observer this train of thought appeared as Oliver blinking stupidly and looking confused at the new information. Slowly a sentence began to form; "Will she be ok?"

A somber voice replied "No one knows yet. C'mon this is our floor"

If the situation was less grave the sight down the hall would have been comical. A man with blonde and sliver hair was pacing a few steps only to make a militarily-precise turn and repeat the process. On a bench were three women holding onto a single man with red hair. He was being pulled in so many directions that his clothes were practically ripping, or at least stretching into an unrecognizable shape. He looked very much like he was carrying out a suicide mission and only had minutes left. George very gratefully looked at the newcomers and tapped the girl furthest from him. Next thing Oliver knew he was squished between Fred Weasley and Angelina Johnson in what had to be the most awkward greeting of his life.

"Fred, you're back why did you take so long?" Without pausing for an answer or letting go, she continued "Oliver, I'm glad you made it, she's been in there for hours and no one knows a thing. I've seen two more healers go in in the past 15 minutes alone. Her parents are doing as well as can be expected, although they don't really understand what's going on."

Angelina grabbed Oliver by the wrist and dragged him over to the middle-aged woman on the bench. "Mrs. Bell, this is Oliver Wood, he's here for Katie too." With that she shoved him down next to her and went back to stand with Fred at the end of the corridor and began to talk in hushed tones. The pacing man stopped momentarily to look over the young man seated next to his wife. Finding nothing amiss save for the very odd dress/cloak/robe thing he was wearing with gold plants across the chest, he retuned to pacing.

_He's here for Katie too. _The phrase reverberated in Oliver's head. Of course he was here for Katie. He's always here for Katie. Like when she got scorched by the Columbian Fire Root in Herbology as a third year.

"_Oliver" she whined knowing he'd drop whatever he was doing and give her attention. "Oliver it hurts. Fix it."_

_He looked up to see a blonde, blue-eyed imp who was covered in mud from her ponytail to her ankles pouting and offering him her bare arm. Said arm was covered in a long, raw injury._

"_Kate what the hell did you do?" _

"_I was just moving a Columbian Fire-thing and it jumped over and got me. I swear it wasn't my fault." Her sweet smile not disguising the fact she wasn't in half as much pain as she made out to be and this injury was most likely entirely her fault._

_Giving his mates a look of well-I've-gotta-take-care-of-her-don't-know-when-I'll-be-back, he cupped his arm around Katie's back and lead her up the boy's stairs. She was chattering away about how it wasn't her fault, really. Upon reaching his dorm, she curled up on the foot of his bed and peered over at him searching his trunk for the med kit he had, just in case of Quidditch emergency; he was the captain after all. Upon attaining the burn paste he looked up at her._

"_Give me your arm Katie-Kate and I'll, what did you say, fix it?" he joked._

_She obeyed but not before taunting in a sarcastic yet innocent voice "But Oliver, you always can fix stuff." _

_He smeared the paste on and plopped down beside her. "You're a right pain sometimes. Merlin knows why I keep you around" he said smirking at the cold stone floor in a resigned voice._

"_Cause you can't live without me and I'm a damned good chaser to boot." She grinned at him and placed a chaste peck on his jaw before jumping up and practically skipping out of the room; leaving him with a cheerful "Thanks, you're the best."_

_Oliver couldn't help but smile when he looked at a perfect mud-encrusted Katie print on his clean bed. _


	3. Disturbingly Lacy

**A/N: Thank you for the Reviews. Sorry if this chapter is a little slow. Disclaimer: It's been a really horrible day so I'm gonna go ahead and post.**

**Disturbingly Lacy**

George brought him back to reality by telling him that Alicia needed to go for a walk and he was going to go with her. Oliver just nodded and absently turned to the woman next to him. All he could think about her was that she really looked like someone his mom would be friends with.

"I'm Amelia Bell; that's my husband Bennett wearing a hole in the concrete. He gets like that when he's worried, just can't stay still." She was wringing her hands and seemed to be looking for a distraction. The only think she seemed to find was Oliver "You're a friend of my Katie's then?"

"Yes maam, we went to school together."

"Oh, so you know everyone else then? From Hogwarts?"

"Yeah, we were all on the Gryffindor Quidditch team together. We're the team that won the Quidditch cup."

"That's the sport that's played on brooms, where you fly around and shoot at goals?"

The words "you don't know Quidditch?" were out of his mouth in shock before he remembered Katie was muggleborn.

"No dear. I've only ever heard Katie tell me about it. She loves it and apparently so does everyone else. It's rather like football I understand." She looked so kind and reassuring Oliver forgot to feel guilty.

"From what I know of football, yea it's like that. I play for a living now. I was at practice when I got the message about Katie. Apparently Angelina told the owl to come to me straight away."

"She's such a good girl, that Angelina; and Alicia too. They've been so kind to us and such good friends to Katie. They're like big sisters to her, visiting over the breaks and putting up with us pair of old fogies." When Oliver didn't respond, she kept talking to fill the silence. "And those twins are nice too. They came so fast when they heard Katie was… Anyway you know them from school too, yes you said that."

Oliver was a long way away from Amelia Bell's banter. It broke through his head as a passing thought of _Katie sounds so much like that when she's nervous_. He was busy thinking that he should have kept in touch better. Here he was surrounded by some of the best friends in the world and he hadn't seen them in almost a year. He sent the occasional owl, but it was so hard to find the time. Katie got notes the most often because she was still in school and NEWT year is tough. He couldn't be there to take care of her but he could send her letters with a promise of life after Hogwarts.

_Kate,_

_Glad to get your last letter. I'm not sure what Snape would have done if your potion did that, but I'm glad Slughorn thought it was funny. And points for creative use of a conjured ladle to boot. _

_You should be glad you don't have my coach on the pitch. He's a nutter. Further proof that I was not the maniac all of you made me out to be. They pay's good though, you should see my new place. I'm happy with it. Not sure I want to go furniture shopping for it. Hey, you should come do it for me! Please Kate? I'll bribe you with tickets to a match._

_Come see me play,_

_Oliver_

"And you graduated already?"

The direct question brought Oliver back to the present. "Yes maam, I graduated three years ago."

"Would you be the boy then that she lingered on the platform with then? You certainly have filled out quite a bit since I last saw you." She gave Oliver a sad once over, as if indeed verifying that he was the boy her little Katie had such a crush on then. Her sweet 15-year-old looked more like she was watching a love go off to war than her best friend graduate. And Katie swore they were "_just friends mama, we took care of each other_." The thought of never hearing her baby's voice again just broke the dam of tears.

Thinking it was the best course of action, Oliver conjured a handkerchief, if anyone would have been paying attention they'd have noticed how disturbingly lacy and flowery it was, and put a comforting arm around Mrs. Bell. Angelina and Alicia appeared out of thin air to whisper soothing words. Oliver just kept a strong arm around her and tried not to cry himself. It wouldn't be seemly for him to cry. Of course he's cried before but he had to be strong now, for Katie. Everyone knows she saved him once when he tried to drown himself; although only she and he know the particulars of that incident. He couldn't think of that now.

Two healers swept out of the room with not as much a glance to spare for the assembled family and friends.

"Well they didn't look panicked did they?" George mused to no one in particular.

"I'm sure that means she'll be alright" Alicia piped up.

"She'd better damn well be alright" Oliver contributed, finding he was very angry no one had said anything to the family.

Another healer and an assistant came out, looking tired but calm. "Mr. and Mrs. Bell? May I speak with you?"

"Say what you have to say, everyone should hear" Amelia said nervously. By now the entire group was standing in a cluster around her like a support.

"This is highly irregular." More than one person present was vaguely reminded of Percy Weasely. "Your daughter has been cursed by a very ancient object. Much longer contact and she would not have survived. Currently she is in a coma, but is being given the usual restorative potions. We have no way of knowing how extensive the damage truly is until she wakes. You may see her now, I recommend in smaller groups."

Bennett Bell spoke for the first time since Oliver arrived. "How long will the coma last?"

"Mr. Bell we can't know." And with that the entire assembly shuffled into the room, completely ignoring the healer's recommendation of small groups.

The assistant healer watched everyone carefully. She prided herself on figuring out the connections of visitors to patients, her mental game to stay sane in the midst of hospital life. _Well the parents are easy_ she mused taking in the older couple. _The quartet is a little harder to pick out. The twins could be a distant relation and the girls their fiancé's or, more likely the girls are her best friends and the boys are here for the girls._ She smirked to herself as she watched the last person file into the room. _This one's too easy, they're in love. Well at least he loves her more than reason. Who comes to visit a hospital in Quidditch gear? I hope she wakes up; he's cute enough to BE a reason for living._ The assistant smiled and obediently followed her supervising healer down the hall.


	4. Puddlemere Paraphernalia

**A/N: Wow, Thanks so much for all of the reviews; the total number more than doubled with the last chapter! I really appreciate everyone taking the time to do that; especially those of you who have reviewed multiple times. Reviews inspire me to update! I'm sure most of you can figure this out, but my flashbacks don't follow a designated order because people don't think that way. Minds just tend to wander to memories that connect to the current train of thought and that's what I'm aiming for. Disclaimer: If I was J.K., then I wouldn't have to worry about what to wear to the Halloween party! Happy Halloween everyone!  
**

**Puddlemere Paraphernalia  
**

Oliver was totally unsure of what he would find when he went in the room. Sure he'd been to hospitals before, heck, he'd even visited Katie when she was injured in Quidditch. The difference was then she had been at least semi-conscious and able to make light of the situation. Now, well now's different.

Now he's standing at the foot of the bed looking at a beautiful woman, not the girl he left standing on the platform three years ago. She looked like a princess from a 'Dizzny' fairytale his niece watched. Her hair was longer and peacefully resting over her shoulder. It should be flying behind her on a Quidditch pitch, or fighting to escape whatever clasp she thought may work.

Those beautiful blue eyes were concealed behind heavy lashes Oliver wished would open. Her face had refined cheekbones Oliver swore were new. Maybe they only appear when her face was devoid of expression. Her face always said something; you just have to be able to read Katie-language to understand it. Oliver was fluent in Katie-language; he could read the intent behind every gesture and every smirk.

_FUMPH. _

_Something or rather someone landed on Oliver, effectively separating him from the notes he was attempting to look over for his Charms NEWT. He looked down at the bundle and found legs sticking up over one arm of the chair and Katie's pouting face staring up at him steadily._

_"Kate, I was tryin to study."_

_"You took my shirt."_

_"I did not take your shirt"_

_"Yes you did, I know it was you." She crossed her arms for effect. _

_"Kate, why would I take your stuff? I'm too busy to deal with this." Oliver made no physical attempt to remove her but scowled at her in his best go-pick-on-someone-else glare._

_"Don't look at me like that. I can't find my Puddlemere shirt and I'm sure it's somehow your fault, so it's up to you to fix it." She smirked; she knew she had him at Puddlemere. _

_"Oh, well as long as you're blaming me for something that is impossibly my fault, that's alright then." Oliver visibly relaxed and began to reach for his scattered notes around Katie.  
_

_"Oliver…" she whines, tugging lightly on his robes just for effect._

_"ARGH, fine. Go on up and __nick__ one of the ones the scout left for me. The bag is somewhere under my bed. Good luck finding it."_

_The scout for Puddlemere United had visited about a week after the Quidditch final to convince Oliver to try out for their reserve team. To "help him think things over" he'd left a generous assortment of Puddlemere paraphernalia as a gift. Oliver had planned to give most of it to his sister and her husband, they wanted it to decorate the nursery, if he made the team._

_Katie flounced down the stairway and much to Oliver's dismay, returned to her place in his lap. "Thanks Oliver, I don't know what I'd have done otherwise" her amused sarcasm turning to a laugh as she hugged him._

_ He looked down at her, not surprised to see she was donning her newly won prize. "Kate," he said in a playfully admonishing tone, "do you even have a Puddlemere shirt?" _

_"'Course I do, I'm wearing it aren't I? And I'm gonna need it anyway when you make the team." _

_Oliver did his best not to stare at "her shirt" or what was beneath it. "You really think I'll do it then?"_

_"Oh yeah, you're the best" she leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek that no one would call a chaste peck. Without meeting his eyes she grabbed the notes. "Aaaand since we can't have you failing NEWTs, I'm gonna help you study."_

_She stayed there, notes in hand, quizzing him on wand movements and spell pronunciations, while perching on his knees and wearing her new shirt._

"Son, she'll be alright." Bennett Bell was standing at the end of the bed.

"She has to be."

Oliver glanced around the room. He looked to see the twins in the corner, probably trying to charm something to be a funny gift for Katie when she woke up. Amelia was sitting in a chair next to the bed talking quietly to Angelina and Alicia. Oliver moved over to the twins. They were indeed charming what looked like some colorful napkins nicked from the tea shop.

"They're gonna spell out Katie get better" started Fred.

"... in Origami" George finished.

"They're also gonna spell out random things"

"Like don't eat your knickers"

"Remember to shave your toes"

"Quidditch practice at DAWN!" they finished together.

"She'll love them guys. She really will."

"We're about done, then we're going home. We have to open the shop in the morning." George is the closest thing to practical the twins get.

"One of the beautiful girls will take the Bells home."

"And you should go get some rest too."

"They'll take care of our girl. We can all come and visit tomorrow." Fred looked at his pocket watch. "Well we can all come back and visit later today."

Oliver went back over to the bed and sat gingerly on the edge near the ladies.

"Oliver, why don't you go home and get some rest? Don't you have practice tomorrow morning?" Alicia piped up.

"Yeah, but this is… I think I should stay a while more." He looked over at Katie and placed his hand over her tiny one.

"Oliver Wood, I believe this is the first time you have openly declared something more important than Quidditch" Angelina replied in shock.

Bennett walked over and placed his hands on his wife's shoulders. "Ladies we'd better head home. I'd like my wife to have a few hours sleep before we have to meet the doctors in the morning."

Alicia stood up. "I'll take you home and if it's ok, I'll stay and help you get back here in the morning for the appointment. I'm sure my boss will let me have some time off."

She escorted the weary couple out of the room. The twins placed their present on the table next to her bed. It was declaring "Wax goes in ears not in rears" in cheerful colors. Angelina stood to leave with the twins.

"Oliver go home and get some rest" came out in a tone that a toddler would appreciate.

"I don't want Katie to be alone."

"She won't be, the healers will take the best care of her."

"Alright I'll go soon."

As the rest said good bye and the door clicked shut. Oliver was left entirely alone, with a sleeping Katie for company. He watched her and thoughts clanged around in his head like a bull in a china shop. He'd seen her sleep in many ways over the years, upside down in chairs in the common room, on top of homework she has due in the morning. The most memorable being propped bolt upright between the twins when he was having an important tactical session with the team.

_"Bell wake up!"_

_"Oliver, shut up so I can sleep" she mumbled without opening her eyes._

_"Don't you want to win? Isn't the Cup important?"_

_"You're a loon. Now either have a real practice or shut it." She snuggled into George's shoulder for effect._

_"ON THE PITCH NOW!"_


	5. Rumor Mill

**A/N: I love my reviewers, thank all of you so much! So, no flashbacks this time, but there is a turning point (well it's tiny and hidden so it's more of an inflection point). I know what happens next so it looks to me like a flashing neon sign but I don't know if anyone else will notice. So I challenge all of you to pick what you think it is and let me know!** **Even if you haven't a clue or don't want to try, still review please! **

**Disclaimer: If I owned anything, I wouldn't have to worry about moving from my lovely office (with a door) to cubeville.**

**Rumor Mill**

Oliver lied.

When he said he'd go soon he really meant he'd leave at the last possible minute so he could make practice. He did, in fact, make it to practice, looking like the walking dead when he did. It was the only morning in the history of Quidditch the entire Puddlemere squad was silent while gearing up. Everyone had seen the note. Oliver looked so awful this morning, no one was brave enough to ask what had transpired. None of his teammates wanted to be responsible for setting him off.

The coach pulled Oliver aside.

"Was she alright?"

"Cursed object sent her into a coma. No one knows when she'll wake up" he said in a completely dead voice.

"If you need personal days, take 'em." Kevin Pryce, head coach for Puddlemere United, did not usually approve of his athletes taking any time off during the season. However, his star keeper looked like hell warmed over and if anyone should take time off, it was that boy. Last thing the team needs is that boy doing something foolish because he's too tired to think straight. He was hoping Katie, whoever she was, would get out of that damn hospital soon, so he could get his team back to his idea of normal.

Oliver just nodded and flew off to do laps. No one would admit it out loud, but Oliver was not in top form. He was a robot, saving and catching without any real thought. Only the muscle memory from years of playing Quidditch kept him from looking foolish. Any move that required more than pure instinct was beyond what he could handle.

After practice he went to his flat, showered, and headed for St. Mungos. This became a routine. Quidditch, bath, Katie, sometimes food, sometimes sleep. Cards and gifts accumulated for Katie. Oliver made sure she had fresh flowers. He brought them at least once a week; it wouldn't do for her to wake up and not have beautiful flowers.

Angelina and Alicia made sure she looked beautiful; just because she was in the hospital doesn't mean she has to look like it. Angelina brushed and styled, and restyled Katie's hair. Alicia liked to paint Katie's fingernails and toenails. The twins made sure she had colorful decorations for when she woke up. They even brought over a few of the 'safer' items from their store.

Her parents were there as often as possible. It was hard for them to spend so much time in the wizarding world, but Katie was their only child and they felt the need to be with her. They were also able to meet many of the visitors that stopped by, and it was comforting to know so many thought highly of their daughter.

All of the rituals allowed the people who loved Katie feel like they were being useful in some small way; it combated the feeling of helplessness.

The assistant healers, and a few of the junior healers, had watched all this over the weeks. But they all began to wonder, why is she special? A Quidditch star consistently visits a girl who was only eighteen. According to Witch Weekly, otherwise known by some of the sillier ones as the Bible, he had much more interesting things to do than spend most of his time in a hospital ward. Bound by the healer's code not to divulge information to the press, they cranked up their own rumor mill.

Secret romance in shades of Romeo and Juliet was by far the most popular theory. Another was that he had killed a rival lover in a duel and she swore to never see him again. He visited because it was the only time he was allowed to see her. There were a few more far fetched, like his amnesia only lifting when she went into the coma, but they were as likely as the Cannons winning the League.

Most were just in awe of the heartbreaking pilgrimage that Oliver made almost daily to Katie's side.

The day the entirety of Puddlemere United walked into the room of the sleeping girl was a shocker to everyone.

After practice on a designated day, everyone met at the hospital to visit Katie. Senior members of the team decided that this would replace one of the practice-sucked-so-let's-go-get-drunk outings, the best kind of teambuilding in most opinions. None of them had been able to make their young Keeper any more human than he had been that first day. Visiting the hospital had been the only thing that they could think of to show support and solidarity for their teammate.

The team mulled about the room, picking up, poking, and otherwise examining the various gifts and cards that had been left for Katie. Thankfully none of them happened so set off any of the 'gifts' the Weasley's had invented. Each member of the team remembered to offer kind words about Katie and assurances she'll wake soon.

"Your girl is beautiful mate, I know why you want her back now" one of the reserve beaters, James Arron piped up. Someone whacked him in the back of the head.

Oliver turned on his heel and crossed to the window to avoid responding to the beater's remark.

"He never has known when to shut up mate," one of the starting beaters, Tony, stated plainly to Oliver as they stared out the window. "You know he'd be a nightmare at the press conferences if he was a starter."

"I'm fairly certain that I would not want to be there when he has multiple press venues to impress" Oliver remarked in disgust. Arron's remark bothered him more than he cared to admit and he couldn't discern why.

"Tact has never been a requirement for playing professional sports" Cliff observed as he looked around the room at his team.

His eyes found a small group staring blatantly at the doorway, as if it contained one-way glass. The young assistant healers not-so-discretely peered back into the room and stared at the team full of Quidditch-hotties while pretending to make their designated rounds. About the time they had worked up the courage to flirt with the single ones, the players began to drift out. Cliff watched them go to make sure no one accidently left with an assistant healer or two on his arm.

"We just need you to know that while you're here for her, we're here for you" Cliff stated as he ushered out what was left of the team a couple of hours later. Oliver nodded in acknowledgment of the statement and returned to his chair beside Katie's bed.

That night, a single assistant healer listened to a Scottish-tinged monologue, just outside the door and learned a story the hospital rumor mill would be hard-pressed invent.


	6. Nighttime Disclosure

**A/N: Thank you to all of you that review every chapter! Congratulations to the two of you who figured out what my inflection point was in the last chapter; you get gold stars! So here's Oliver's big speech; it gets it's own chapter. Be sure to let me know how you like it!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned anything useful, it wouldn't matter what the plane tickets to New Orleans for New Year's costs.**

**Nighttime Disclosure  
**

"Kate, you need to wake up soon. And I mean that as an order, not a request. I'm here for you, like I'm always here for you. Your best friend waiting patiently for you to say _Oliver go get me a coffee _or _Oliver go find a life_ or to whine _Oliver fix it_. Well I can't damn well do anything while you're not here. I'm so mad…"

At this point, Oliver begins pacing around the room for lack of something better to do and throwing his hands around in the air. Had anyone been watching, they may have been reminded of early morning lectures on Quidditch plays.

"I'm mad that some bloody berk did this to you, I'm mad the healers know nothing, I'm mad that I couldn't protect you, and I'm sure as hell mad I can't fix it. I've had to become tough cause it's hard as hell being on this side and KNOWING it's possible you'll never wake up and also being afraid you'll wake up for two minutes and no one will be there. You have it easy in this situation!"

"I'm mad that I can't just visit a couple of times a week like a normal friend. NOOOO, I have to come in here with my bouts on insomnia just to see if anything has changed, to be supportive, to be close to you, to convince myself you're still real."

"I'm sure everyone around here thinks I've gone mad. They just look at me with pity or treat me like I'll fall apart any second. And who can blame them? I'm here as much as your parents, if not more. They're lovely folks by the way Kate; we've spent quite some time together while you've been here asleep. Anyway, the point is, I've been here so much the healers have started giving ME updates on how you are! It's not that I don't appreciate it, but they've no obligation to tell me anything." He slowed his pacing and came to a stop at the end of the bed continue with his lecture.

"That idgit of a teammate of mine almost had it pegged. He called you my girl. That's the problem, you're not my girl, never have been my girl. No. The problem is I belong to you. I'm yours and I never had any say in the matter. You for some reason have my lap reserved as your personal cushion, my shoulder might as well be deeded over to you, and people actually used to MOVE so you could sit next to me. One of your glares sent any female in Hogwarts back to your idea of a respectable distance. It was the unspoken rule of Gryffindor, Oliver is Kate's; don't ask, don't touch."

"It's ridiculous because we never dated, in the three years we played together never one date. Never anything more than best friends. Our three years apart in age seemed an uncloseable gap then."

"Of course you dated, idiots all of them, and I picked up the pieces of my Kate when they hurt you, but ya didn't love any of them. Maybe you thought you did, but none of them were worth your love. I've dated, most of them only went 'cause I was a rich Quidditch star and you weren't there to back them off. Even the quality girls had a problem Kate, they weren't you. 'Course I didn't figure that out till I came here and thought about it by your bedside."

He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair before pleading with her. "Kate, a lot of people love you and want you back into this world and not that obviously happy dreamland you are living in. I don't know what's happening there but you've got to come back. I want my Kate back. You can nick my stuff, hit me, manipulate me, or just scare off any girl who wants to me near me, whatever you want; I just want my girl back."

He sat on the edge of her bed and took her hand much the same way that he did the first night. "I know that I can't have everything in this life. If it were to be perfect you'd come back to me, fall in love with me or back in love with me whichever, and let me keep you forever. It's far more likely that you'll come back, be glad to see me, fall for a few more idiots before settling down with a guy who isn't good enough for you but loads better than me, and I'd toast you at the wedding because it would make you happy. It's even possible you'll come back just to make my life a living hell because I've been stupid."

The thought of Katie's wedding made Oliver grimace. He hung his head and addressed their entwined hands. "I know I've been stupid and you saved me. I was standing like a prize idiot in an ice cold shower. And you barged in and started yelling at me. Everything was numb, my brain had permanently checked out, and you…"

"_I swear to Godric Oliver, if you don't snap out of it I'll snap you out myself" Katie continued her tirade, deciding she'd better try yelling at him in the shower next, cold or not. She yanked the curtain back and shoved him up against the wall. "This is NOT your fault, this is NOT Harry's fault…"_

_She continued to list all of the people whose fault it was not, being sure to include Oliver several hundred times, but nothing got through. Suddenly Oliver's brain woke up and his body was on fire._

_Katie was kissing him and to Oliver's surprise he was responding. He tried to pull back to speak and she just growled "Oliver shut up." _

_And he did. _

_He was so numb and he just needed to feel. He lifted her up so he could kiss her properly and turned to trap her between his body and the wall. The only thing that he could feel was Katie. The next time his brain checked in it was because Katie had broken their connection by tugging his shirt over his head._

_This time he stopped and rested his forehead against her shoulder. He needed to breathe. While staring down he noticed that both sets of Quidditch robes were in the pool of water in the bottom of the shower, along with his shirt. Katie was only in tank top and shorts and some primal animal in his mind thought that overdressed. He noticed that his hands had, of their own volition, migrated to places that no gentleman's hands should be. How long had they been doing this?_

"_Kate we need to stop."_

"_Yeah" she breathed out._

_He gently set her down, and she gathered the wet things and cut off the shower. She then reached back a hand and pulled him into the locker room. She threw a spare cloak around her shoulders and the reached to put one around his._

"_Kate?" He knew he should say something. He needed to make sure things were right with her, but his brain still didn't work well enough._

_Katie wove her small hand into his large one._

"_It's ok Oliver, let's go back to the castle."_

"You stayed with me and never made me guilty, never wanted anything more than before. But Kate, that broke me. It broke me and somehow I'm sitting next to your hospital bed, wanting you to wake up even if all you do is hate me forever. It broke me so I'm useless to anyone but you."

"Kate, I want to save you, but I can't when you're so far away. I can only give you what you gave me."

Oliver leaned over and placed a kiss on the lips of the sleeping girl and whispered in her ear before striding out of the room and apparating away. The assistant healer who had listened crept in and saw tear drops on the girl's pillow. _That poor man must have been crying!_ If she hadn't been examining the tear drops, she would have missed the sweet smile that crossed her face.

"He loves you dear, and even if you have no other reason, that man is enough to come back for."

The girl in bed just continued to smile and rolled over onto her side, hugging her pillow. The assistant healer was shocked by such dramatic movement and practically sprinted out of the room to find a Healer.


	7. The Next Day

**A/N: So update! Yay! I hope everyone enjoys this, I stayed up writing it when I should have been sleeping. Nothing like rolling into work on caffeine and 4-ish hours of sleep**. **See how much I love all of you? I also love it when people review! I'm sure most of you have figured that out by now. So here's the chapter. I wonder who can identify the book mentioned off the top of their head? (That means pre-google)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned anything useful, well it would still suck that my car broke down for good on the Interstate on my way home for Thanksgiving. Hooray for car shopping.**

**The Next Day  
**

Oliver didn't see Katie the next day. He couldn't face her even if she hadn't heard a single word of his confession. So much for Gryffindor courage.

The day after that he only stayed long enough to put fresh flowers beside her bed. "This is the last time that I bring bleeding lilies and try to stuff them in this Merlin-forsaken vase." The torrent of angry words for the flowers didn't cease until they were wrangled into submission. He didn't notice that she smiled as he cursed the flowers and the vase he was trying to put them in. He practically ran out.

The day after that there was a Quidditch match. Oliver was completely angry with himself for giving up over 100 points to the Wasps. One hundred points didn't make them loose, Puddlemere's seeker, Sig Dacey, had a nice catch when the other seeker was out of place on the other end of the pitch, two hundred yards away from the correct altitude. The problem with this particular game is he saved as many goals as he didn't. Oliver Wood, Professional Quidditch Player, was better than a 50-50 average.

No one had said a word. Coach hadn't even made a comment about Oliver's all-time low in his career. Coach was, however, singing the praises of his seeker, for being in the right place at the right time. The media hadn't picked up on Oliver's performance, but the analysts would start to scrutinize it soon enough. Oliver hit the showers and was debating the merits of staying there until the world ended, when he realized he needed to get a grip; there are things he needs to do. He got hastily dressed and headed for the hospital, avoiding the wizarding paparazzi.

Oliver walked into Katie's room, nodding to her father, who was by the window counting cars passing on the muggle street below. Amelia was sitting next to the bed, reading aloud to the slumbering girl. Oliver could have sworn he saw Katie's hand move as her mother read the description of Colonel Brandon's swift departure from Marianne's sickbed. He was just overly tired from the Quidditch match, she hasn't moved on her own in over two months, why would she start now.

"Didn't you have a match today, son?" Bennett had learned something of Quidditch over the past few weeks, how can someone be near Oliver and not? Men and sports; Oliver and Quidditch; no further explanation needed.

Oliver flopped heavily in the chair next to the bed that was 'his.' "Yea, and I think a trained troll could have done as well as I did today actually."

Amelia had stopped her reading, "I'm sure it's not as bad as that Oliver. Katie always said that you made it look so easy. All the talent and hard work is worth something."

"If I had fallen off and had to go to the med bay, the reserve would have put in a better performance."

Bennett began to chuckle. "If you did that, you'd at least be in a comfortable hospital bed here instead of that chair. Perhaps you could get an adjoining room."

"Yeah, I promise I'll get some sleep tonight." Oliver directed his reply to Amelia; she had taken to mothering him since Katie was cursed. "I need to work on getting back up to a decent keeper." He smacked his head against the back of the chair. Realistically, there were starting keepers in the league that regularly saved less than the 50% threshold, but Oliver couldn't accept that.

Oliver heard, rather than saw Angelina walk into the room. "Hi, I'm here to take you… Oh, hello Oliver."

"Angelina" he greeted from his position with his eyes staring at the ceiling.

"I was just closing up the shop and decided to come by and see if the Bells would like me to take them home. But if you two aren't ready, Oliver would you mind?"

"No that's fine, I'll…"

Amelia cut Oliver off. "Actually, I'm tired and would like to take you up on you offer."

"Okay that's fine Mrs. Bell, night Oliver."

"Oliver dear, please do get some rest."

Oliver waived an errant acknowledgment, causing Bennett again chuckle at his expense. Angelina and the Bells left Oliver alone to sit with Katie. He leaned forward in his chair and looked at her face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her hand move. He looked down and saw it tucked securely to her side. It must have been there before. _Mrs. Bell was right I DO need some sleep. I'm seeing things._

He shook his head and stood. Smoothing her hair unnecessarily, he thought he saw her eyelids flutter. Oliver decided that he really needed that sleep and apparated to his apartment. He hit the bed fully dressed and stayed there all night and most of the following day.

The day after that he made it out of bed and was in practice, playing in the intra-team scrimmage, and having a not so boring time. The reserves were not holding it together well today. Oliver was concentrating so hard he barely noticed a bludger hurdling straight toward him. He instinctively caught it and realized he was not holding a bludger. The quaffle soared right past his shoulder and into the goal while he was examining the owl, causing the team to stop and take notice. Oliver Wood doesn't miss the quaffle.

Basil was not having a good day. He had to yet again deliver another letter to this barmy man on a broomstick, on this Merlin-forsaken pitch and try not to die in the process. He wasn't sure why these messages couldn't wait until everyone was on the ground and there were no men wielding bats trying to hit small round objects, not that Basil looked like a bludger. But being the strong, brave, confident owl that he was, Basil set about delivering the message that he was certain would be just as good if he delivered it later, when it was safe.

And unfortunately for Basil, the barmy man was holding him upside down. Oliver just landed and took out the note, dropping Basil absently onto the pitch turf. Poor Basil landed on his feathery head.

Oliver's eyes grew wide as he scanned the short note. Without a moment of hesitation, he threw his broom at Cliff and announced "I have to go." Basil just sat on the ground, completely disoriented, next to the tiny slip of parchment that had been dropped. Puddlemere's coach picked it up, but this time he read it aloud.

_  
She's asking for you._

The entirety of the Puddlemere United Professional Quidditch team apparated to St. Mungos.

Oliver walked down the hall as fast as he could. If he had been paying attention, he would have noticed approximately eight times more junior and assistant healers than he'd ever seen before. They all watched him go down the hallway, careful not to run, but he felt that he needed a time-turner to get there five minutes ago.

Those assistant healers that thought he would turn back into a hippogriff when she woke were devastated.

Oliver passed one of the young assistant healers collecting galleons from quite a few other hospital staff. He'd just won the pool betting on how long it would take that Quidditch player to come in after the comatose patient awakened. He'd called this half of an hour, and was thrilled with his substantial pot.

Oliver didn't see any of this though; he was too focused on getting to Katie.

Oliver turned into her doorway and took in the scene. The normally stark white hospital room looked fit to host a luau thanks to all of the decorations the twins brought in over the weeks for Katie. He spotted a healer conferring with his assistant just inside the door. Mrs. Bell sat beside her daughter's bed, while her husband stood with his arms wrapped lovingly around her. Angelina and Alicia were perched on either side of the bed laughing at the twins. Fred and George were holding a miniature broomstick joust at the end of the bed with four inch long broomsticks. And in the center, watching all of the antics, was his Kate.

Propped up into a sitting position by so many fluffy pillows it was ridiculous, Katie was smiling and laughing. She looked for all the world like a queen holding court. But the only thing Oliver could think was _she's awake_.

He just stood in the doorway, the numerous emotions battling in him keeping him from stepping through the doorway. He couldn't make his legs move and break the spell. _She's awake._


	8. Awake

**A/N: Soooo update, well, here is what everyone's been waiting for. Miss Bell, meet your readers! This is probably the last update that I'll be able to post before the new year, due to traveling and such. So happy all holidays and enjoy. Reviews are also appreciated. And as I'm checking the date... Happy Solstice!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned anything useful, I'd still love my new car!**

**Awake  
**

Katie Bell was awake. She woke up early in the morning, feeling like she'd slept for a year. She tried to sit up and found that a little too difficult. She looked around and saw a healer setting up some cards on the table.

"Miss?" She hated how weak she sounded.

"You're awake! Good gracious child."

"Why wouldn't I be awake? Have I been asleep long? And can I have something to drink please?"

The assistant healer, yes the eavesdropping one, conjured a cup of water and handed to Katie. Katie was unprepared for its weight and it clattered to the floor.

"Oh don't bother, I'll try again." This time she conjured a paper cup, half full. "After what you've been through, break as many cups as you like."

"What happened to me?" Her hands were shaking as she brought the water back to her chest.

"As far as any one could tell you were put under the Imperious Curse and accidentally touched a cursed necklace. But you barely touched it, and they brought you here and you've been in a coma ever since."

"How long?" She took another nervous sip of water.

"Your coma lasted, let me see, at least a couple of months, I'll have to check the charts."

"Oh my God! What about my family?"

"I've let the healer on duty know that you're awake and he'll be contacting them soon. They've been to visit you know. Along with two very kind girls who love you very much. And those girls come with two identical men who love you too and turned this room, into a fiesta."

Katie looked around and noticed charmed lanterns, colorful cards, and Origami that stated: _Don't eat your knickers! _"Fred and George, always entertaining."

"You're a popular lady. Several Hogwarts professors have been to visit. And one day an entire professional Quidditch team showed up."

"You're making that one up." Katie was glad the healer was carrying the conversation, she couldn't think yet.

"No, I was on night duty that day but the on-duty staff swear to Merlin that the whole Puddlemere United team came to visit you." Katie just looked at her with a confused look. _Why would they come? Puddlemere sounds familiar._

Reading her mind the healer continued "Well I can't definitely say for sure why they came, but one of them, he comes almost every day. He just stays and holds your hand, and brings fresh flowers when the others look bad."

Katie's head snapped to the nightstand, where there was a huge vase of Stargazer lilies.

"He brought those this week."

"Who?" Katie asked.

But her answer was delayed as three healers and several more assistant healers came into the room and began to do all sorts of tests and ask a myriad of questions. What seemed like a lifetime later, they all left. Katie had her instructions, don't lift anything heavier than a cup, don't reach, don't try to move your legs, don't try any magic; basically, don't do anything. She just snuggled into her covers and wished someone would come and talk to her. Her parents are muggle so someone has to bring them, and that takes forever.

The kind assistant healer from earlier walked in after a bit and offered her a washcloth and a basin.

"Why don't you wash your face before the visitors arrive? We charm you clean but I think it always feels better to use some water."

"Thanks, do you know when they'll be here?"

"Soon; but if you like, I'll keep you company."

"Kay." Katie looked over at her lilies. "Who brought me the lilies?"

"One of the most devoted young men I've ever seen. He's handsome too. One night he had a conversation with you. He talked and talked and talked. It's a nice voice to listen to; you're a lucky girl to have a man like that love you."

Katie just laughed. "I don't have a boyfriend, much less one who's thoughtful enough to bring me flowers." Her boyfriends have always been jerks in the end. She was desperately racking her brain for a devoted man with a nice voice.

"No one said he was your boyfriend miss. I just said he was in love with you; the kind of love where he'd be miserable as long as you were safe and happy." The healer then looked at her trying desperately to put the puzzle together. This woman could not resist meddling in the love affairs of the young.

"You were eavesdropping!" Katie accused.

"Of course I was, no one knew if you were listening" the healer replied as if listening in was the only reasonable course of action.

"What's his name?"

"Now that's cheating. You should know him, and from what he said, you probably love him. At least he wants you to."

"I don't… MAMA!"

Amelia Bell rushed to her daughter and clasped her in a loving embrace. She was followed by Alicia, who instantly began to chatter.

"Katie, I'm so happy. You're gonna be alright. You're dad's talking to the healer and I owled George to get over here and tell Fred to get Angelina. I've missed you."

Another half hour found the room full of life. After embraces and catching up on life, everyone took turns at reading Katie her get well cards. As her mother finished reading a sweet card from Ginny, well the whole Gryffindor Quidditch team signed it but it was definitely from Ginny, Katie was suddenly struck with a panic. She began to frantically flip through the notes. Something was missing; no that's not it, a someone was missing. Leanne, Lee, McGonagall, Haley, Professor Dumbledore, Justin, Harry, Ron…

Katie was desperately trying to make her mind work. She was trying to figure out who was missing. Connect the dots: Cards, Quidditch, Gryffindor, "OLIVER!"

"Sweetie what about him?" her mother asked soothingly.

"He, he always sends me notes." Tears began to leak from her eyes. "I'm the bloody hospital for weeks and not one note." She was crying so hard, quickly approaching hysteria, she didn't notice Fred leave. "The prat probably doesn't even know I'm hurt!"

"Honey, those flowers are from him. He makes sure the ones next to your bed are always fresh." Katie could tell Angelina was trying to make it better not worse. She was using the calm the three-year-old out of a tantrum voice.

"He brought me lilies?" Katie choked.

"Yes Katie, the ones just over there. He visits too; you'll probably see him soon."

"The healer said something about the lilies…" Katie's mind had hit overdrive, they were from someone important. Someone with a nice voice who visits. Her mind wasn't working right, it was like trying to think through a haze; the wheels are spinning and spinning.

"Oliver?" Katie asked in a small voice, feeling suddenly tired.

"Oliver was here for you while you were in the coma." Angelina crawled in the bed on one side and Alicia crawled into the other. The presence calmed Katie down.

Alicia wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "He'll come see you now you're awake too."

Fred wandered in with a couple of toys. "Watch this ittle-Katie" Fred called as he tossed a tiny broomstick to his brother.

"The infamous Weasley twins"

"Proprietors of Weasley Wizarding Wheezes"

"Will now perform a broomstick joust"

"For the captive audience!"

The tiny broomsticks began zooming around and trying to knock each other out of the air. Everyone laughed at the antics. Katie began to feel almost normal, snuggled between two friends who might as well be her sisters, buried in a sea of pillows, and watching two grown children have a great time.

She didn't know how long they did that, but Katie was happy. She just watched and laughed, and forgot to think. Eventually Katie noticed a tall figure darkening her doorway in blue robes. She stared at him like she'd never seen him before in her life. It had been years, but that didn't matter. He was perfect, the way Oliver Wood should always look. He looked like he had just stepped off the Quidditch pitch, windblown hair, Quidditch robes and all. The look of amazement on his face was adorable. She wanted to get up, run to him and tackle him, but her legs still didn't work. So Katie did what she could, she held her arms out like a small child and called his name.


	9. Hold Me

**A/N: So, hope everyone had a happy holiday. I'll have to admit between the Holidays, going to New Orleans, and being sick, it took me way way too long to get this update out. It didn't help that this little chapter gave me issues, darn you writer's block (imagine Kirk screaming KAHN as you read that)**. **So my apologies for the long wait, it was took long even for me! Reviews are always appreciated (plus my reviewers are awesome) and they might keep me from getting writer's block in the future.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned anything useful, it would still be infuriating that my car had a flat today. But then I would have been deprived of the pleasure of watching my boss change it for me!**

**Hold Me  
**

"Oliver."

That was possibly the best thing he had ever heard in his life, her voice calling for him. He snapped out of awestruck so he could close the distance and wrap his arms around her. Poor Alicia had to leap off the bed to ensure she was not squished. She was glad no one noticed her less than graceful landing. A certain red-head might have noticed, but kept his comments to himself. Oliver just buried his face in Katie's hair and she clung to him as tightly as her weak arms would allow.

Katie noticed Oliver was talking. So softly she could barely hear. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here. I wanted to be here when you woke up but I had practice. I'm so glad you're awake. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't made it…" it just went on and on in soft, deep, reassuring tones.

He began to pull back, his intention being to look at her face, and Katie instantly missed the closeness. She buried herself in his chest and ordered "Hold me."

He did, he sat next to her and pulled her to his chest and held her. Katie used the time to think. He was holding her so she could think, didn't have to talk, just think.

_This feels so nice. When was the last time I saw Oliver, well, there was that story in Quidditch Unlimited. NO when was the last time I've really seen him. Can't remember... Why has is been so long since I've seen Oliver? What's wrong with me? No, the last time I saw him couldn't have been on the platform, could it? No there was another time wasn't there? I'm she there was. Why are things so confusing?_

_At least the flowers are pretty. It was sweet of Oliver to bring them, although I wonder why he brought them while I was asleep. I've been almost dead for weeks; there's something about the flowers that's significant. Maybe that nurse mentioned them to me earlier, I'll have to ask later. I feel like it's something I wouldn't have forgotten._

_Something's different. Why is he so tense? Why does he sound angry? He can't leave. I'm not sure why, but, no no no, he can't leave. Oliver._

"Oliver, don't leave me" she mumbled into the crumpled mess that was Oliver's practice uniform.

No one could make it out because the conversation had resumed while she was thinking.

"Oliver, I'm so glad to finally see you under better circumstances." Amelia smiled warmly at the young man.

Oliver just nodded over the top of Katie's blonde head. He leaned back against her pillows so she could recline somewhat. It was awkward for him, but he'd never complain. "What do the healers say?"

Bennett Bell began summarizing the report again. "Something about what happened knocked her nerves out for a while. If she had been in contact with that thing much longer all of the nerves would have been shut down. And that would have..."

Bennett looked away instead of finishing the sentence. "That's why she was in the coma, the conscious part of the brain couldn't jump enough signals through to allow her to wake. It's likely her brain was in a dreaming sleep to compensate. But as more signals start to cross, she should get more normal. Her legs don't work yet and she really can't do all that much with her arms, but they should theoretically get better with rest and care."

"So she'll be back to normal." He was running his hand absentmindedly over Katie's back and only he hadn't noticed.

"Only time will tell."

"That's it?" Oliver couldn't quite wrap his head around it; she really was going to be alright. He would get his Kate back. He felt like he could fly without a broom. "That's all there is?"

"Mostly," Alicia was hesitating. Hoping Oliver wouldn't hex the messenger, she continued, "She won't be able to do magic until her body's as healed as it's going to get. The healers said her magical energy was helping to force the nerves to work. Without the magic, she wouldn't have recovered."

"What did you say? As healed as it's going to get?" Oliver's voice was coming out strained. The implication of that particular phrasing came crashing down. He was doing his best not to translate the emotion into his hold on Katie.

"Oliver," Angelina cautioned in her talk-to-a-toddler voice, "it isn't helpful to sit around and speculate about how fast or much she will heal. The important thing is she's out of the coma and not in any danger of slipping back into it."

"How healed is 'as healed as she's going to get' Angelina? Don't the people who work here know anything?"

"It isn't as if this happens here everyday Oliver." Angelina was loosing her temper. "This is a pretty unique situation; can't you just be happy she's alive?"

"What kind of a question is that? Of course I'm happy, 'Bout splinched myself in my hurry to get over here." Oliver is insulted. "Now how well is she going to get?"

"Oliver, perhaps we should talk about this outside. Katie is right there."

"I bloody well know where she…" Oliver was distracted by a mumbling in what used to be his Quidditch robes. His tone immediately softened; "what was that Katie-Kate?"

Katie uncovered her face only to see a very strange sight. A big blue and gold mass was pushing its way though the door. This mass also seemed to be fighting amongst itself.

"Geroff"

"I'm stuck"

"Is she there?"

"Move you're bleeding elbow"

"You're an arse"

"What's going on?"

"Is this the right room?"

"MOVE!"

One big push later two Quidditch players fell through the door onto the floor and the eleven others stepped over, or on, them into the room.


	10. Quidditch Teams

**A/N: Wow, you people can certainly rock the reviews. I would have liked to do a holiday update, but I'm going to be out of town so lucky you; it comes early. ****This was a lot of fun to write, so I hope everyone has as much fun reading it (and leaving me reviews! Especially leaving me reviews) ****So when it rolls around, everyone have a happy**** Valentine's Day, Singles Awareness Day, or even Mardi Gras! May it be a fun and happy holiday for my readers!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned anything useful, I wouldn't have to go into work when I could play in the snow!**

**Quidditch Teams  
**

"We'd have been here sooner, but superstar over there" pointing at the reserve beater lying on the floor "had to sign autographs. We got all caught up down in the waiting area, it's a zoo! Coach's trying to clear it up though." The man stepped over his teammates in the floor. "Cliff Cloudman, lead chaser for Puddlemere United, nice you meet you all. Glad you're up Katie." Despite the whole mess that had happened Cliff had everything together.

Katie just stared at him with her eyes bugged out. All she could see was blue. "Oliver, I think we've been invaded. I'm blaming you." She tried mock severity. When that failed miserably, she couldn't help beaming up at him.

"Since you've decided things are my fault, you're probably gonna make it." Oliver replied with a smile of his own. He began surveying the 13 men all staring at Katie. Most of them were looking at her like she was zoo exhibit, while a few of the older, married ones were looking from her to him expectantly.

"Um, ok so introductions. Old Quidditch team, Mr. and Mrs. Bell, meet my new Quidditch team, Puddlemere United. New Quidditch team, meet my Gryffindor House Quidditch team, minus Harry, and Katie's parents."

"Ollie that won't do at all" George started

"Yes, men of our stature need a proper introduction"

"We are Messrs. Fred and George Weasley"

"Creators"

"Innovators"

"And Pranksters supreme" they finished together.

"You mean like WWW? You're really the creators?" a Puddlemere player piped up.

"Of course!" chorused the twins, both secretly wondering how bright are professional athletes, really?

"Oliver," another admonished "you never told us you never knew anyone REALLY famous."

"Sig," Cliff answered, "we're professional Quidditch players. We're ALL famous." And the entire group of people laughed, even the Bells, who had little idea of what was going on.

"What's going on in here?" the Quidditch players parted to allow their coach to move to the end of the bed.  
"Nothing Coach. Sig just forgot that Pro Quidditch players are famous."

"Sig, you forgot after that mess in the lobby? Merlin boy. It's going to be a PR nightmare. Speaking of, Arron you're in some deep shit when we get out of here. Were you even thinking?" Coach glared down at the beater. James Arron was still sitting on the floor, disoriented from a person or two using him for a doormat. He shrugged in response to his coach, not recovered enough for a witty comeback.

Coach just shook his head before looking at Katie, still securely tucked into Oliver's chest. "Nevermind that. Katie, I'm really glad you're awake. I know you don't know me but I'm Oliver's coach, Kevin Pryce but go ahead and call me Coach, everyone else does. He was a right mess while you were knocked out and now hopefully I can get my Keeper back."

"Hey Coach, you've got me."

"Hinsley, when you can save half of what Wood can then maybe I'll let you pretend you're my other keeper" Coach joked. "Can't you just be happy for the couple?"

That comment, while not bothering the standing Puddlemere players, caused Oliver to choke. It also caused Katie to turn red and hide her face in her hands. Angelina and Alicia looked like someone had just let a governmental secret slip and the twins broke out into loud guffaws.

"What! What is the matter with you?" Coach looked disapprovingly at the twins outburst, then the rest of the room before rounding on Oliver. "You almost kill yourself worrying about her, leave the pitch DURING practice TWICE, and now sit with her all bundled up in her lap. How in the hell did you think I didn't know you were dating the girl? Hell, even Arron got it and he's been hit with one too many bludgers."

Oliver now looked like he had been told he had five minutes before he was to be set on fire and thrown to a herd of hungry thestrals; perhaps that would be better than answering that statement. Katie chanced a glance up at him and forgot her own mortification as she saw the priceless look there. She was just going to have to try and save him.

"We're not dating." She tried to be as calm as possible, but instead ended up sounding sad and small.

It wasn't possible for Katie to see the look of panic replaced by a resigned sadness on Oliver's face. He took a hand from her waist and lifted it to tuck the blonde curtain hiding her face behind her ear. He wanted desperately to have even a glimpse of her face and see what caused the sadness. Was she sad because people assumed they were together? Was she sad because she felt sick? His action prompted Katie to twist a little in his arms so she could look him in the face.

Most of the males in the room looked like they had been smacked in the head for something they didn't do, confused and disoriented. The minute expression changes were lost on them. Amongst the perceptive audience, Angelina and Alicia looked like they were watching a particularly engaging movie and the hero is about to get the dream girl. Amelia Bell saw a five-year old Katie who had just fallen off her bike and was looking for someone to make it better. Oliver and Katie only saw one another trying desperately to read the face in front of them. The healer saw too many people in a single room.

"Anyone who does not bear the last name Bell must leave IMMEDIATELY!" The healer was wondering exactly how many people were in the room he had just shouted into.

"Alright boys, Say good-bye to Katie and then head out." Coach looked at Katie and tried very hard not to say anything else to Oliver. "I'm glad you're better on any count Katie."

Each of the Puddlemere players approached Katie's bed in a somewhat orderly fashion to wish her well and express gladness about her not being in a coma anymore. Most were just generic phrases, but to the healer it looked a lot like she was getting formal acts of fealty from her subjects. Oliver stood next to her bed and watched them come, speak, and exit into the hallway, with one exception.

"Katie, I'm really glad you're better. You're so beautiful and since you and Wood aren't… Maybe we..."

"She's not available to you Arron" Oliver growled in a dangerously low tone that made the receiver doubt he would live if he crossed the man in front of him. Then again, James Arron was not known for doing the smart things.

Out of habit, Katie opened her mouth to make a retort about her being able to date whatever low-life would take her and stopped. She needed to think again and she was growing very tired.

Oliver bent down and kissed Katie on the temple the minute the last member of his team passed the door. He then followed them without a word. The twins and her best friends began to say a jumble of things, talking over each other. The gist of what was said was that they were all very happy she was awake, loved her very much, would come to see her soon, and take care of Oliver, don't worry.


	11. Since When

**A/N: So Hello! It looks like I'm an idiot. I thought I'd be able to update sooner, and see how well that went? I need to focus on the making time for fanfiction, it makes me happy. As I have said before, I find reviews very inspirational. So the return of the flashbacks has commenced, with a dash of sweetness! **

**Disclaimer: If I owned anything useful, I wouldn't have had to answer that awkward question my boss asked when I said I wanted to go visit my friends.**

**Since When**

"Miss Bell," the healer began, "would you kindly tell me why there were almost twenty people in this room that you are not related to. Indeed, I have never seen an ENTIRE Professional Quidditch team plus coach visit a patient at ONCE. Even if their own player is injured the USUALLY come in SHIFTS."

Katie was convinced this healer was going to have an emotional breakdown. He really wasn't doing too well. He was yelling at a patient who had been in a coma for months. He was shaking in his outrage. She briefly wondered if Snape had a cousin and if people can spontaneously combust.

"I'm tired" seemed like a safe enough reply, she really couldn't explain anything.

"I'll get you a sleeping draught." The healer waved his wand over her a few times, recorded some data and then left her with her parents.

"Katie, are you feeling alright?"

"Mama I'm tired and confused."

"Maybe we should tell the doctor dear." Amelia started to flutter around Katie, checking for fever or paleness.

"No Mama. I'm confused for my own reasons, not a side effect."

"Do you want us to stay with you?"

"Just until I'm asleep."

"Are you sure you don't want us here incase you wake up?"

"I'll be fine Mama, I just need sleep." Katie was reaching annoyance with her well meaning mother's continued flittering.

"Are you…"

"Amelia, Katie is getting the best care in the world here. We'll come back tomorrow when she's awake. Is that alright Katie?"

"I love you Dad."

Bennett looked smug. "I know, I'm the rational parent, you have to."

The healer came in with a potion that Katie took, no questions asked. Amelia and Bennett just talked softly to their daughter, telling her stories about her friends that happened when she was asleep. They didn't say anything about Oliver. Soon enough she was asleep and they crept from the room.

Mr. and Mrs. Bell found it surprising they weren't surprised to see Oliver sitting in the hall, just outside Katie's room. He stood as they exited.

"I just thought I'd stay, and see if she's ok, and help you home if you want."

"Thank you Oliver dear, she's fine. I'd appreciate an appy…arpy… poof home if you don't mind. I don't fancy a long taxi ride tonight." Amelia smiled at her lack of terminology.

"Alright, I'll take you first Mrs. Bell and then I'll come back for you Mr. Bell."

He offered his arm to Mrs. Bell and apparated her to her front door. She thanked him and he "poofed" back to the hospital.

"Son, how long have you loved her?"

Caught off guard by the abruptness of the question, Oliver tried to think back to when he knew he loved her. I was definitely sometime in 7th year.

_Oliver was sitting on a sofa staring into the fire. After the loss to HUFFLEPUFF of all houses, he was hollow. A book rested between his hand and the arm of the sofa, open but unread. _

_A warm presence made itself known against Oliver's leg. He didn't have to look; somewhere in the back of his brain he knew Katie was sitting as his feet. She came and sat with him every night after the loss, determined not to give up on him._

_He looked down at the top of her head and saw she was scribbling an essay while looking at a book propped up against the table leg. He also noticed his hand, the one not holding the unused book, was twining itself in and out of her blonde hair. It gently pulled at the soft locks, ran its fingers along her scalp, and traced a path from the nape of her neck to her collarbone without his permission._

_Katie leaned her cheek against his knee and continued to try and do her essay. She wasn't managing much progress due to the distraction. He marveled at the feel of her hair and skin for a moment longer before urging his brain to work. _

_Kate has pretty hair. And soft skin. And beautiful eyes. And what am I doing? No way, NO WAY. I do not have the warm fuzzies for Kate. I don't like her like that. Of course I don't like her like that. At all. I love her. I do? Oh Merlin, I do. I have to do something about this, NOW. Ummmm Quidditch. Quidditch Plays!_

_Oliver quickly grabbed a piece of parchment from Katie and the quill from her hand. He began hastily scribbling a play, not that he knew where it was coming from or if it made any sense, onto the paper._

_Katie turned around and could barely peer over the edge of the parchment in his lap. "Feeling better Mr. Wood? I assume you are because you're actually writing plays instead of staring into space. Well, welcome back to the land of the living, and you owe me a parchment."_

_Not looking up, Oliver stated in the most joking and friendly way he could manage, "I love you Kate."_

_She smiled a warm smile, stood up and pecked him on the cheek. "I'm going to tell the rest of the team that we have Quidditch practice before breakfast tomorrow."_

_Oliver watched her flounce off and vault over a sofa to land between the twins. Everything was going to go back to normal. Some bit of chivalry in Oliver thought this was definitely for the best. She's better off not knowing._

Oliver looked into Bennett Bell's eyes and quickly decided that denying it was pointless. "To know it, since I was in 7th year; Kate was in 4th. I think I loved her a time before that and just didn't know it." Something in Oliver still cringed when the age gap was brought to the forefront.

"Her mother was dating my best mate," Bennett began, staring at a spot somewhere over Oliver's right shoulder. Needless to say, Oliver was confused by the turn this conversation had taken.

"One day I hauled off and punched him in the jaw for something, didn't even really know what for. Then it hit me, Amelia was it. I'd loved her all along."

"What did you do?"

"Well I stood still long enough that my mate blacked my eye." Bennett chuckled. "You should avoid life-changing realizations when you are in the middle of a fist fight if at all possible."

"What did you do about her?" Oliver was still slightly confused as to why Bennett Bell was choosing to reveal this personal information to him.

"Amelia left him the next week over something, maybe it was the same thing I punched him over, I don't know. So I asked her to a movie, as a friend. Then things went from there and a walk down a church isle and Katie followed."

Bennett put a hand on Oliver's shoulder and Oliver apparated them to the Bell's front door.

"Won't you come in Oliver?" Amelia called from somewhere within.

"No maam, I should get going. Goodnight Mr. Bell, tell Mrs. Bell I said goodnight to her as well."

"Son, don't let the right girl go without a fight."

Oliver only nodded and went back to the hospital. He wanted to check on Katie, even if she was just asleep.


	12. Princess Rose

**A/N: I have the most awesome reviewers ever. This chapter came to me like a bolt out of the blue, this is not where I intended to go, but it just felt right. I mean, who won't love Anna by the end of the page? Also I had a reviewer who was distressed that Oliver was "not kissing" Katie in the last chapter. I snuck something in there for you honey! Please enjoy and don't forget to tell me how you like the new characters! (and what you like in general)  
**

**Disclaimer: If I owned anything useful, I WOULD NOT be working night shift! Ugh...  
**

**Princess Rose  
**

Oliver headed back to the hospital. He could walk to Katie's room blindfolded, scratch that, he could walk there in his sleep, and practically has on several occasions. He just kept his feet moving, he needed to see her.

She was exactly the way he had expected her to be, motionless and quiet. Before he remembered that it was possible she could wake, he reached out to touch her to make sure she was real. His hand carefully smoothed the hair away from her face and she opened her eyes.

"Oliver" she managed to croak out, her weak voice barely above a whisper.

He smiled at her half-open eyes. "I didn't mean to wake you, I wanted to see of you were alright Kate."

"They gave me something…" she made tiny movements, like a small child fighting to stay awake. "It's… making me sleep. Glad you're here." She smiled softly.

"I'll stay with you until you go back to sleep."

"But you're here."

"I'll come back"

"Okay, but visit when… not sleepy."

Oliver chuckled softly to himself, "I promise I'll visit when 'not sleepy' and we can talk."

"I like talking to you."

"I know Kate."

"I'm not being good at it now."

"Go to sleep Kate"

"Missed talking to you"

"Go to sleep Kate"

"Miss you"

"I've missed you too" he whispered to her sleeping form.

* * *

"Olivar" a high pitched voice whispered.

"Olivar." The voice got louder.

"Uncle Olivar."

Oliver awoke from his slumber and blinked. He was sitting in Katie's room at St. Mungo's in 'his' chair. He tried to stretch, and realized his hands were hampered by something. One was on Katie's bed, entwined in both of hers. The other was being tugged on by an impish little 3 year old named Anna. He looked up and found his sister glaring down at him.

"Ophelia?"

"Madainn mhath bràthair" (Good morning brother)

He pulled his hands away from their captors to rub at his eyes. "Isn't it a little early for Gaelic siùir?" (sister)

"Not if you lived under my roof."

Ophelia Wood McPhail was Oliver's older sister. Five years his senior, she looked the part of the sister of the "most eligible bachelor in quidditch." She had an elegant and imposing frame accented by light brown hair, hanging in heavy waves down her back. Her dark blue eyes showed annoyance at her little brother's complaint. She had married into a family that preferred speaking Gaelic over the Queen's English. The broken phrases from her childhood had become fluent speech in the past five years.

"Good morning little one," Oliver directed at his niece.

"Who's the sleepy one?"

"Kate"

"Oh" She accepted it as a perfectly reasonable and full answer, and with that she wandered over into another part of the room. Anna was a perfect miniature of her mother, excepting the blonde hair that she had inherited from her father. She was graceful and forceful just like her mother. She was examining the paper origami that currently read "Don't forget to shave your toes."

Oliver turned back to his sister. "Why are you here Phee?"

"Mum saw a report in "Isles of Quidditch" and she sent me to see if you were alright. She was in a complete tizzy, so I agreed to come to London."

"What? Why would Mum think I wasn't alright?"

"Here." Ophelia dug around in her purse and tossed him a tabloid, whose front cover showed a hassled looking Kevin Pryce and several of the Puddlemere players in the lobby of St. Mungo's.

"Aww, bloody hell. I'm gonna kill that git Aaron."

"You are the only one there aren't any photos of. There are many, many of the others. There is a lot of speculation that you were injured severely, if you bother to read the commentary. According to that, I'm surprised to have found you in one piece." Ophelia raised her eyebrow at her younger brother.

"It's a wonder that she didn't splinch herself trying to come" Oliver remarked dryly as he flipped through the pages. The headline "Quidditch Hottie Oliver Wood Minutes from Death" caused him to roll his eyes.

"She was quite worked up. She flooed me before a decent hour this morning and demanded that I come and see if you were alright. She couldn't 'bear the shock' if no one prepared her for what gruesome injury you surely must have."

"It's nice to know that my big sister will come and make sure dear old mum won't die from shock. Apparently I'm moments from death due to a freak training accident involving a rampaging hippogriff. Does anyone actually think before they use rubbish tabloids for a news source?" He threw the magazine onto the bedside table in disgust.

"You are lucky that I had to come and get some things from Diagon Alley this week anyway, or you would be contending with her and not me."

Oliver mentally winced. He could think of many different reactions that his mother could have to the situation, none particularly pleasant. "I owe you."

"Aye." Ophelia turned to check on her daughter who was staring at the occupant of the hospital bed. "So Katie Bell is it? I haven't heard you speak of her in a few years, but I saw her name on the room and guessed this is where you would be."

"She's in her seventh year at Hogwarts. I hadn't seen her in ages."

"Still at Hogwarts? How did she arrive here then? Pomfrey can handle almost anything if memory serves."

"I don't know; somehow she ended up with a cursed necklace and went into a coma and tried to die on me." Making light of the situation wasn't working.

"Still in the coma?"

"No she came out of it yesterday. She's had a sleeping draught, so I don't know when she'll be awake today."

"How long have you been using that chair for your personal vigil?"

Oliver hated it when his sister changed subjects abruptly. It made him feel like it was an interrogation about how her pet kneasel ended up red and gold. "I hardly see where that is worth discussing Phee. What I do in my spare time is my business."

Ophelia smirked the Wood-family-trademark smirk. "Still holding a torch for her then?"

Oliver began to fidget, knowing any answer to that question would give his sister entirely too much ammunition. "Answer that one yourself" was his terse reply.

"Kate's pretty Olivar. She looks just like Princess Rose" Anna exclaimed from her place in Katie's bed. She was combing Katie's hair with her small fingers. Oliver had no clue how his niece had managed to climb into the hospital bed or who 'Princess Rose" was.

'Princess Rose?' Oliver mouthed to his sister.

"Disney's Sleeping Beauty" Ophelia answered then looking back to her daughter. "Anna you should not be up there, Katie needs her sleep."

"No mummy, she's a sleeping princess and NEEDS her true love's kiss to wake up. It's just how that works" Anna stated as if the world always worked in such a way.

"Sweetling, I'm not sure that it works that way in the real world." Ophelia was doing a poor job balancing her annoyance with Anna's behavior and her amusement at her antics.

"Yes it does" Anna retorted with absolute certainty. "Uncle Olivar, do you know her true love?"

"I don't think so" Oliver replied uncertainly. This began an involuntary search of his memory to find if Katie did indeed have a true love.

"Anna, get down now or Mummy will be cross."

Oliver turned to his sister. "Statements like that carry more weight if you're not laughing Phee."

"No, she has to wake up. Can you kiss her Olivar? Maybe it will work if you do it. You're kind of like a prince." She turned the full effect of pleading blue eyes onto her favorite uncle. "Please?"

Oliver rolled his eyes; he was fairly certain that there was nothing on the face of the earth that his niece's little pout could not convince him to do. If Oliver was honest with himself, having an excuse to kiss Katie was not unwelcome, even if his big sister was watching. He leaned over Katie's sleeping form and noticed she was trying very hard to have an expressionless face. _Well, seeing as she's already awake,_ he deviated for his original target, her forehead, and chastely kissed her bottom lip.

Katie's eyes opened and blinked dramatically a few times before she answered "Thank you for rescuing me kind sir."

"Any time Milady."

"Hi Auntie Kate!" Anna was bouncing up and down with delight; she had saved the princess.

"Kate, I don't know if you remember my sister Ophelia, and this is her only child Anna."  
"Nice to see you again Ophelia. Anna, I think that you and I shall be friends."

"Of course Auntie Kate! You're a princess!" Anna began to prattle away about princesses and princes and spells as Katie smiled indulgently. Oliver stepped to the side to continue talking to his sister.

"Anna's a little spitfire isn't she?"

"You know that as well as I. I wish you wouldn't encourage her demands."

"She's such a sweet little one, how can I tell my favorite niece no?"

"When I have another, what will you do then?"

"I don't know Phee, spoil them both? Does she usually refer to people she has just met as Auntie?"

"I'm afraid that this is unique to your dear Katie, bràthair. Perhaps Anna knows something that the rest of us do not." Ophelia then looked at her younger brother wickedly.

"Don't take the mickey Phee. I've been worried about one of my best friends for months. Let me be happy she's awake."

Oliver's brain finally caught up to the conversation; turn about is fair play. "What did you say about having more kids?"

"Nothing definiative Oliver."

"Phee" he pressed in a stop-hiding-this-from-me-tone.

"What would you think of another baby in the family?"

Oliver glanced over to look at Katie. Anna was sitting in her lap playing with Katie's hair. She was placing jeweled barrettes in Katie's hair; ruby, emerald, sapphire and opal were now adorning Katie's tresses. Katie was responding animatedly to Anna, being sucked into her world of make-believe. It looked so natural, the picture was 'just right' to him. Then, a thought jarred his idyllic image.

"I don't remember seeing barrettes around before."

"Perhaps you should let one of the staff know that your Katie is up and lucid" Ophelia stated, ignoring her brother's musings.

"Anna, where did you get those hair clips?"

"Auntie Kate conjured them for me."


	13. Sea of Lime

**A/N: Soo it's been a while since I updated. Making excuses won't do any good, but you do have my apologies. Between work and personal life, my world has be upside down, backwards, and forwards all at once. I'm sure that someone out there can relate. I would like to send a special shout-out to EpsilonTheta, who not only has a cool s/n, but was kind enough to make sure that I was alright. This chapter is slightly longer than normal, although I'm not sure that anyone minds. Please leave reviews, I want to know how everyone likes this one, I feel like it has more dialogue than normal.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned anything useful, they hours that I chose to be awake and asleep would be of no consequence. **

**A Sea of Lime  
**

"She what?" Oliver almost yelled.

"I conjured…" Katie's eyes got huge. "Oliver I didn't think, What if I screwed something up?"

"What's wrong Auntie Kate? Did I do something?" Anna looked frightened seeing her two favorite adults so visibly upset.

"Oh honey, no, not you. It'll be alright, come here." Katie folded the almost crying three year old into her chest. Her panic reappeared as soon as Anna could not see her face.

"I'm going to go and get a healer. Don't conjure anything else, don't move, just don't do anything." He started out of the room when an owl landed on his head. "What in the bloody hell?"

The owl began to peck on his head as he was trying to shoo it off. Oliver flailing at the animal and its annoyed clucks was enough to bring Anna to tears. Ophelia snatched the offending bird off of his head and extracted the letter from its leg.

"This is mother's new owl, he's quite demanding." Ophelia began to read the letter while Oliver was still in enough shock to be still. She kept the owl clamped firmly under one arm. "Mother is DEMANDING that you go and see her so she knows that you are not dead."

"Phee, I need to go get Katie a healer, I can't deal with Mother. Could you write her back and tell her I'm alright or something?" Oliver then turned and went down the hall toward the Healer's station.

Ophelia stared after him, wondering why on earth he needed a healer so immediately. He had ignored her suggestion of notifying them earlier. This line of thought was forgotten however when she heard her daughters cries.

"Anna it's alright it'll be fine." She tried to pry her daughter off of Katie, but Anna was stuck like glue. Katie didn't look so good herself; she was incredibly pale and looked as if she was on a fast track to complete panic. Instead, she rubbed Anna's back and spoke to Katie.

"I'm sure he'll be back in a minute." Katie's wide eyes turned onto the older woman. "What happened?"

"I'm not supposed to do magic until my legs work" Katie whispered. "What if I don't get any better?"

"Don't think on that Katie, let the healer's do their job first. Don't worry about it until it becomes necessary."

"Okay."

Katie's always high-strung healer and a pair of assistant healers swept into the room, Oliver trailing behind. The company made a bee-line for the bed, Ophelia quietly and unsuccessfully to remove her still sniffling daughter from the patient. The healer immediately began waving his wand over Katie, with the assistant healers taking furious notes.

Another wave of healers rushed in. "These results are preposterous!" the first healer said to the recent arrivals. "This is impossible. Why is there a second set of vitals?"

"Because she's holding what I assume is her daughter" the recent arrival replied.

"She's a student! She has no children!" the flustered healer exclaimed as he looked down. "Could someone please remove this, this, child?"

Oliver managed success where his sister had not. He was able to lift Anna from Katie so the healers could do their work. The healer immediately started shooing the family from the room.

From Katie's perspective, she was being drowned by lime green robes, swishing wands and unfamiliar faces. Even though she knew she was in a hospital, she was frightened. The only people she recognized were disappearing; she was going to be left alone. She was going to suffocate in the strangeness. "NO!"

All of the motion froze, including the group now at the door. "I… He… don't…" Katie shook herself. "I want him to stay."

"Miss Bell, as he is not a blood relative I cannot allow this."

"I can't be alone." She looked panicked. The wildness in her eyes was breaking Oliver's heart, but he didn't know how to make himself a blood relative in the next thirty seconds. Ophelia was unfazed and turned to the healer.

"Sir, I can see this one of two ways. You can have a slight breach of protocol and a patient who is in a state of mind to be helpful in her diagnosis, or you can have a scared young woman who might injure someone, including herself. Making her comfortable would be in your best interest." Her blue eyes leveled a malevolent glare onto the shaken healer.

"If that does not appeal to you, perhaps you might want to think twice before you forcibly remove a world-famous Quidditch player from this room, considering the little mishap that occurred in your lobby only yesterday. So, Healer, what do you think best for your patient and yourself?"

The healer stepped aside for Oliver to re-enter the room. He smoothly handed Anna into her mother's arm and kissed both of their heads. "Phee, only you could be that scary while still holding an owl. Thank you." Oliver whispered in his sister's ear before walking over to take Katie's hand.

"Come on Anna darling, let us go and visit your Grandmum."

After what seemed like hours, the healers stopped crowding around Katie and retreated to analyze the data. They could make no immediate conclusions, but set up a monitoring schedule to take Katie's readings in 10 minute intervals.

"Are you going to be alright now Kate?" Oliver had a Quidditch practice, and be didn't think it would be a good thing to miss it considering what has been in the tabloids this morning.

"I thought, I thought they were going to drown me in those horrible green robes. I was going to die, suffocated by brightness." Katie was staring at her knees.

"Kate, look at me." She looked up at the face of the figure sitting on the edge of her bed. "Are you going to be alright now?"

"I think so, yeah."

"I have a Quidditch practice. Will you be alright if I go?"

"Of course, yeah, sure."

"I can stay if you'd rather I did so." Katie had resumed looking at her knees. "Would it be better if I stayed?"

"Oh no, go, you're a pro player now. I'm not going to keep you. Go ahead."

"Kate" Oliver put on his your-captain-is-disappointed-in-you tone, "do you want me to stay?"

"No, go. I'll be," Katie let out a breath and the tension in her body relaxed. "Yeah, could you?"

Oliver smiled, "Yeah. I need to owl Coach, but yeah."

"Alright then," Katie smiled in return.

"You know Kate," Oliver replied as he searched around the drawer of the nightstand. "I should make you write me a note, Like Madam Pomfery did when we couldn't make it to class; since you're the cause of all this trouble after all."

"If you need to go, I think I'll be okay." Katie's wide eyes and worried expression informed Oliver this particular joke had been in poor taste.

Oliver sighed. "Kate that was a joke, I'm not going anywhere today."

_Coach,_

_You told me if I need a personal day or two, I could have them. I need one today. I know considering all of the press, it would be better if I was at practice so some paparazzi could snap my photo entering the dressing room. I'm sorry about that aspect, but I need to be somewhere else today. If you send an immediate response, please don't send a Howler; feel free to send me as many you want this evening._

_Thanks,_

_Oliver _

Katie read the letter over Oliver's shoulder. He folded it and wrote Kevin Pryce, Head Coach, Puddlemere United, on the front. After a minute a healer came in to take Katie's information. Oliver very politely asked her to owl the letter to his coach and one award-winning smile from the professional Quidditch player later, the young woman readily agreed.

"You didn't have to do that you know." Katie stated as if she was commenting on the state of the weather.

"What? Owl my coach? You bet your ass I did. He's completely mad; makes me look like a saint." Katie patted the edge of the bed, stopping Oliver's movement toward 'his' chair.

"No you daft Scotsman." Oliver sat down on the edge of her bed. Katie tried to slip to one side, so he would have more room. Her upper body slid easily, her legs were a different matter. "Just shove those useless things over so you have some room." Oliver very delicately complied. "Anyway, I meant you didn't have to stay if you really needed to be at practice for a press conference."

"Press conference?" Oliver's eyebrows knitted together in concentration.

"Yeah, you mentioned it in your letter."

"OH!" Oliver chuckled. "That wasn't about a press conference Katie. Let's just say that I've made the tabloids again." He leaned over to get the magazine, and stretched a bit to far. Oliver promptly fell out of the bed onto the tiled floor.

Katie began to giggle. "Shut up. I was trying to get this for you, you ungrateful chaser." He flung the magazine into her chest, while remaining on the floor.

"Oh, get up here you big baby." She patted the bed next to her again. "And this time sit in it properly, so you don't fall out." Oliver got wearily off the floor and slid into bed to sit next to Katie.

"Shoes off!" Katie scolded while flipping through the _Isles of Quidditch_. She proceeded in a completely bored tone, "It seems as if you've been killed by a hippogriff again, you really should stop that."

"I'm working on it," was the answer as the second shoe hit the floor. They talked about the ridiculous press stories that had been concocted about Oliver in the past three years, especially in the past 10 months, when he had become the starting Keeper.

Three more vital sign checks found Oliver with a response from his coach.

_Wood,_

_It is completely irresponsible to ask for a day off, for something other than being on your death bed, on the day that you want off. I got your letter an HOUR before we were to start practice. This is not to be tolerated! You are aware that we have our next match in less than 72 hours! It's at home, but still, your ass better be here and well rested when you get on that blasted broomstick. We cannot afford to take a game against Hollyhead lightly, ever. So you had best be in top form when you show up here, or I promise your life will be a living hell. _

_I hope that everything is going alright with your Katie and that the reason you are not here does not indicate that she has had a turn for the worse. She seems to be a lovely girl and I do envy you spending a day with her, even if it is at the expense of your team. All jesting aside, I am sure that she needs you today. I understand. Take care of her Oliver._

_I will see you before the match,_

_Kevin Pryce_

"Well that was unexpected. I thought that he would be much more…" Oliver trailed off, looking for an adjective somewhere between livid and vulgar.

Katie perused the letter. "He doesn't seem bad at all Oliver. I thought he was a tyrant."

Oliver looked up from fetching a new piece of parchment. "He is."

"Mind if I write the reply?" Oliver thought that this was rather odd but handed her the parchment and quill.

_Coach,_

_Thank you._

_Katie_

"That's it?"

"Yeah, is it alright?"

"I think it probably is. If not, I'll catch hell for it later. Actually, I'm likely to catch hell anyway so I don't think it's an issue, do you?"

Katie looped her arm through Oliver's and put her head on the outside of his shoulder. After a moment's pause, she said in a quiet voice, "Oliver?"

"Yeah Kate?"

"Thank you."

"You needed me. I have no where else to be."

Katie began again, this time in a bright voice, which almost sounded sincere. "Tell me about the Harpies this year." With that, the conversation turned back to Oliver's favorite topic and Katie didn't have to think about her prognosis for a while.


	14. The Third Chaser

**A/N: Update for you here, straight from my bouts of insomnia to you. Yay for productivity! I've been wanting to include this flashback and it finally gelled into the story for me :) Please take the time to leave me a review, I find them truly inspiring!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned anything useful, hitting woodland creatures with my car would still be bad (It wasn't on purpose!)**

**The Third Chaser  
**

"Mister Wood! How do you feel after your accident at practice last week?"

"Mister Wood, do you think that you are fully recovered?"

The wizarding sportscasters, as well as a few paparazzi that managed to sneak onto the pitch for the after game interviews, were firing inane questions about Oliver's health. Holding down the fort on the Puddlemere side were Cliff, Oliver, and of course Kevin Pryce. He limited access to his players by the press, especially after a long, hard game when they were likely to say something stupid. Cliff always had to deal with the press, being the captain and lead chaser of the team. Coach had decided that it would be best for Oliver to stand with him for this particular set, seeing as how his keeper was rumored to  
have been impaled on a broomstick during their last practice.

"I assure all of you, I am in good health. Now do any of you" Oliver wished to say bloody irritating gnats, but he settled on "journalists, have any questions having to do with the match that just finished?" Oliver was quite tired of dealing with these people. He'd much rather be cleaning up, hiding in the locker room or most likely trying to  
talk Sig into doing something other than sulking.

"What do you think of the Harpies side after this most recent encounter?"

Oliver considered the question. The real answer is that they were saved by their seeker pulling off a fantastic catch of the snitch from under the edge of a beater's broomstick. The chasers were completely off their game, and in Oliver's opinion, nearing the end of their career. The team did not play the same way since Gwennog went out on maternity. Their keeper might as well have been on a vacation in the south of France.

"Hollyhead is always a challenging opponent, and this was a long and hard haul for everyone. Look at the scoreboard, a close match there. Celia Connely has done an admirable job catching the snitch for the Harpies today." All the reporters noted the politically correct remarks and the thirty point score differential.

"Don't be so modest Wood," Cliff interjected, "you did a wonderful job, only allowing five goals during this almost four hour match! Not too bad for someone who was eaten by a rouge hippogriff," Cliff winked at a young reporter who began to furiously take notes.

"Gentlemen, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I must beg you to let my boys head off to the shower. I'm sure Cliff's wife must be waiting for him, and no one wants him to head home covered in Quidditch grime, do they?"

A few chuckles from the reporters and they let the players head back to the lockers. Coach stayed a bit longer and let them harass him about the loss.

"Although I have a good guess, where exactly were you the other day?"

"Katie." Oliver sighed. He chanced a glance at Cliff's face and plainly saw the 'go on' written there. "Long story short, there was a situation that caused Katie to have a panic attack. I've never seen her quite like that, I couldn't leave her."

"I know what you mean man, if Karla had that kind of an accident, I'd be a basket case."

"Of course you would, Karla makes sure you remember to breathe." Oliver joked while giving Cliff a 'manly' shove. "One thing that I don't get, was how was Coach alright with it? Me just taking off and all?"

"He's got a soft spot. He lost someone in the War, doesn't want to see you denied the opportunity he didn't get, I expect." Cliff needed to turn the conversation from the depressing path it had taken. "So, when you get married to that lovely lady, you are required to allow him to make a speech at the wedding!"

Oliver looked appalled at the prospect. "Actually," Cliff continued with an evil gleam in his eye, "all starting members of Puddlemere are going to make speeches!" Then Cliff ducked into the locker room to avoid the angry verbal torrent of Scottish brogue that was disagreeing with that plan, on many levels.

* * *

Whump!

"Wow Katie, you're really getting some of your strength back!" Bennett  
was pleased at his daughter attempting physical therapy. The healers thought performing a familiar motion might cause more nerve pathways to open. He tossed the ball gently back to her.

"This makes me feel useless. I can toss a quaffle, big deal," Katie unhappily caught the ball and hurled it back at her father.

Bennett chucked at his daughter, "Do you want me to get a pin and stab your toe? See if it hurts?" He tossed back the red ball.

"Don't you need to get back to mama or something?"

"I'm sure she can hold down the fort, it is her sister that is visiting after all." Bennett glanced over at the door and noticed Oliver standing there with a bouquet of purple peonies. He pointed to the door as Katie was about to hurl the quaffle at her teasing father with all of her might. She instead sent it slamming into Oliver's chest, forcing him to drop the delicate bouquet to catch the all important quaffle. Katie's face showed the complete shock and horror of accidently throwing to the wrong person.

"Looks like you're getting that arm back Kate. Good thing you weren't playing for the Harpies earlier."

_Oliver looked at the meandering group from which he was supposed to assemble a team. It was his first year as Captain, and he was GOING to win the Quidditch Cup. As he looked around at the faces, he began to worry. He was going to need two new chasers and seeker, and the fifteen broomstick owners ranged from excitable to cocky._

"_Alright then" Oliver pointed to the air, where the Weasley twins were trying to knock each other off their brooms with the bludgers. "If you want to be a beater and think you could actually compete with those two, please come forward."_

_A few of the assembly skittered back toward the broom shed. "That's great guys, you'll do a bang up job for Gryffindor again this year!" he called up to the twins._

"_You doubted us Wood?"_

"_All those wishing to try out for the open chasing positions please step forward, Seekers please go to the stands and wait to be called."_

_Oliver looked at the seven warm bodies in front of him. He was pleased to note Alicia Spinnet was standing there, looking nervously from him to Angelina, who had been on the team the year previous. Oliver knew they were best friends, and Alicia had done a fantastic job as a last minute sub in the match against Hufflepuff last year, when she filled in for a chaser who inconveniently had a detention. She had several points and assists to her credit._

"_Everyone take three laps of the pitch to loosen up. The Weasleys are still practicing, so watch for bludgers." Seven broomsticks took flight._

_After a lap of watching Oliver turned to Angelina "Who do you like early on?"_

"_I don't want it to seem like favoritism, but Alicia..."_

"_She's already on the team. She had a trial-by-fire last year and came out on the good. Plus, I've seen you and her practice, she's solid. If she'd been to see me before today, she'd be standing down here."_

_Angelina's face flooded with relief. "Other than that, the boy with the brown hair looks like he has potential, the blonde girl, the small one, can fly very well." _

"_I think that the blonde might be a little," Oliver stopped mid-sentence as the blonde under discussion performed a barrel-roll out of what appeared to be boredom. How dare she! "SHOW SOME SPEED!"_

_After countless passing drills and dropped quaffles, he allowed all the try-outs to take penalty shots on him. So far, the blonde and the brown-haired boy had been promising. Angelina did one for demonstration, and he was able to deflect it away. Alicia pulled off a rather good fake and managed to get one in the right hoop. Most of the others didn't even manage to get near the rings. _

_The blonde was the last to go. She gave him a long hard stare as he tried to read her body language, then WHUMP! Her throw connected with the center of Oliver's chest and pushed him back at least half a meter in the air!_

_He looked back at her, enraged. She simply smiled and replied with feigned indifference "You looked bored."_

_Oliver was silently impressed with the precision with which she hit him, a person on a moving broomstick and the force with which he was hit; the perfect combination of athleticism and talent in one single act of retribution. If he could squash out some of that sass, he'd have a good third chaser. This line of thought manifested itself as monosyllabic bursts of irritation._

_He rubbed what was surely to be a bruise and tossed her back the quaffle. "Go do the flying wolf passing drill with Angelina and Alicia" Oliver managed to grind out. He overheard "nice one Katie" from Angelina as the three rose into the air and began to drill, too smoothly for it to be the first time. Oliver realized he'd been set up. He would be indignant about it later; he had his third chaser._


	15. Those Beyond Help

**A/N: I love my readers, I love my readers, I really love those that review! Here's chapter 15, and a little glimpse of Oliver and Katie being, well, Oliver and Katie.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned anything useful, I could live where I wanted.  
**

**Those Beyond Help  
**

Oliver smiled easily. He tucked the red ball under one arm and picked up the flowers that had been so rudely relocated to the floor. The delicate flowers had begun to disintegrate into a shower of soft purple petals, leaving a fluttering trail in his wake. By the time he had laid them in Katie's arms, several of the flowers looked truly pathetic.

Katie looked down at the flowers in the crumpled paper wrapper. "Oliver," she started with a mixture of sadness and apology, "I didn't mean to make you drop your flowers. I'm sure they were lovely before."

Oliver chuckled in his baritone voice. "These," he started, picking up the bouquet, "are your flowers Kate. You may destroy them at will." For effect he gently shook them over her head, dislodging any loose petals to rain down.

Katie reached up and snatched them before Oliver could cause them any more damage. Shooting him a cross look she stated, "That was NOT intentional you prat." She untied the paper and started separating the flowers into 'okay' and 'those beyond help.' She concentrated wholly on this task, using it to ignore the two men, hiding her embarrassment and annoyance at her own behavior. When she had finished, 'those beyond help' had only claimed one-third of the bouquet.

Oliver was filling Bennett in on the Hollyhead game, and explaining how even though the scoreboard says one thing, the real game looked more like a Puddlemere skill exhibition. Katie stuck her hand out sharply in front of Oliver and wiggled her fingers. Both men chuckled as Katie gave Oliver the you-know-what-I'm-asking-so-do-it look. He then vanished the contents of the bedside vase and placed it gently in the demanding hand. Katie set to work arranging the 'okay' flowers in the vase, doing her best to hide any damaged sides.

"Well son, I didn't expect you to be fluent in 'Katie' as well" Bennett managed to get out in a level voice. He had refrained from his first impulse was to make a remark about how well trained her daughter kept her pets.

"Aye." Both men broke in to slightly muffled laughter, as to not incur the wrath of the invalid with flowers. Katie didn't know who she was more frustrated with so she glared in the general direction of the laughter before working on the flowers with intense and unnecessary concentration. This act only resulted in breaking any restraint of the men in the room, dissolving them into hearty guffaws.

A beautiful vase of flowers shot into Oliver's field of vision. "Fix it!"

Oliver pulled out his wand and whispered _"Augamenti." _From the tip of his wand, a gentle stream of water flowed into the vase. When he finished, he put the vase in it's space on Katie's bedside table.

"There you go Kate. You did a nice job, you can barely tell you tried to kill them!"

Katie made a noise that was more similar to a growl than anything a human would say and begun to hurl the 'beyond all help' flowers one-by-one at Oliver's face, while he swatted them down playfully.

Deciding that he'd better leave before he became a target, Bennett began edging toward the door. "Alright children, I have a wife and in-laws to get back to. I will leave you both to act like adults in my absence and not kill each other."

The flowery onslaught paused. "Bye Dad, tell Mama I miss _her_" with the obvious insinuation no one currently in the room would be missed.

"Goodbye Mr. Bell, I don't think our darling Kate has it in her to murder me this evening. Maybe next week."

As this statement had reminded Katie what she was about, Oliver begun defending against Katie and the onslaught of the remainder of flowers. She finally ran out of ammunition and settled for glaring at Oliver in a way that should have set his robes aflame from her annoyance. Never knowing when to quit, Oliver picked up a battered flower from the floor.

Picking a single petal that was bravely clinging to the rest of the flower, "She loves me, she loves me not, she loves me, she loves me not, she loves..." _Whump!_ Oliver was blindsided by a pillow to the temple.

"Stop being a child and give me back my pillow you daft Scot!"

"Awww Kate. Don't be that way. Don't ya want to know if you love me?" Oliver teased with a huge goofy grin on his face, making a flamboyant hand gesture to remove the next petal.

"If I was pondering my love for you, I could make up my mind without consulting a FLOWER!" Katie spat back angrily.

"Kate, what's going on? You're not acting like yourself." Oliver accused.

"Well neither are you! You LOST a Quidditch match and are all cheerful and disgusting. I think you've gone mad, even for you!"

Oliver sat down on the edge of the bed, so he could look Katie in the eyes. "When you shot that Quaffle at me, I thought about the first time I met you. Back at those tryouts. Remember that?"

"Yeah." Katie grudgingly agreed. She was reluctant to allow the happiness that surrounded that memory destroy the foul mood she had been cultivating.

"You were impressive. I was so worried I wouldn't have a team. After you, the only thing I had to panic over was a Seeker; and McGonagall provided me that. I remember being surprised that something so small could hurl a quaffle that hard." Katie allowed herself to giggle a bit. Capitalizing on her good mood, he took a jab at himself, "I also remember I may have had a tiny discussion about 'pulling the wool' over your captain's eyes in tryouts."

"I think that would qualify as complete explosion, at the first official Gryffindor team practice I might add. My first introduction to your Quidditch-induced madness. You yelled at us for a good quarter hour. I should've run then." Katie poked Oliver in the chest for emphasis.

"Ah, but then you'd be without me now, and how would that leave you? And in my own defense, how was I to know that Angelina and Alicia had adopted you and been training you to subvert my attempt at an honest, open try-out?"

Katie smiled. "Hey! I was a lost first year that they found wandering on some fifth-floor corridor looking for Charms. Then Alicia decided I needed 'mentoring' and then they both discovered, as did I, that being on a broomstick was as natural as breathing for me, and voila I was officially adopted. It only made sense to practice with them, to try out with Alicia, they were my friends."

"I suppose I shouldn't complain. I couldn't have asked for more solid girls. It was good to watch you three, I felt like less of a failure. The seekers were all horrible, and I thought 'at least I have that right' when I looked at you three and the twins in the early days. Although I remember thinking I needed to do something about your attitude." Katie wrinkled her nose in distaste. "What did you think then?"

"I was relieved. Everything was going alright then. I was going to play for my house with my two best friends." Katie got a wicked gleam. "I even fancied you a bit then. It was a nice bonus on making the team. But then every girl from Second to Fifth fancied you. Of course, then you and I became me and you." Katie smiled a little and gave a shrug to say "and that's that."

"That was a good idea on our part." Oliver returned her grin. "Now what was going on?"

The smile fell from Katie's face. She sighed heavily, "Tossing the quaffle reminds me of what I have to lose. If I don't get better, I can't fly anymore Oliver. I might not walk. For a while, I could feel the strength returning, I felt like it was getting better. Not today."

Oliver ran a hand comfortingly over her lower leg. "I'm sure it just takes longer for the legs. You do magic with your arms, not them. The inner Kate magic is charting into unfamiliar territory." Oliver tried making light of the situation. Katie looked back at him skeptically. Taking a serious tone "Kate, whatever happens, you're not stuck on the ground. You can always fly with me."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Katie relaxed. "Tell me about Hollyhead."


End file.
